Genesis 38

Judah and Tamar

1At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man from Adullam named Hirah. 2There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua; he married her and slept with her. 3She conceived and bore a son, and he named him Er. 4She conceived again and bore a son, and named him Onan. 5She bore still another son and named him Shelah; he was born at Kezib. 6Judah took a wife for Er, his firstborn; her name was Tamar. 7But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in Yahweh’s sight, and Yahweh put him to death. 8Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty as brother-in-law to her, to raise up offspring for your brother.” 9But Onan knew the offspring would not be his, so whenever he slept with his brother’s wife, he spilled his seed on the ground so as not to give offspring to his brother. 10What he did was evil in Yahweh’s sight, so Yahweh put him to death as well. 11Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up” — for he thought, “He might die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house. 12After a long time, Shua’s daughter, Judah’s wife, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he went up to Timnah to his sheepshearers, together with his friend Hirah the Adullamite. 13Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way up to Timnah to shear his sheep.” 14So she took off her widow’s clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and sat down at the entrance to Enaim, on the road to Timnah — for she saw that Shelah was grown, yet she had not been given to him as a wife. 15When Judah saw her, he took her for a prostitute, because she had covered her face. 16He turned aside to her by the road and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you” — not knowing she was his daughter-in-law. “What will you give me to sleep with you?” she asked. 17“I will send you a young goat from my flock,” he said. “Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?” she asked. 18“What pledge should I give you?” he said. “Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she conceived by him. 19Then she got up and went on her way, took off her veil, and put her widow’s clothes back on. 20Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite, to collect the pledge from the woman, but he could not find her. 21He asked the men of that place, “Where is the shrine prostitute who was at Enaim, by the road?” “There has been no prostitute here,” they said. 22So he went back to Judah and said, “I could not find her. And the men of the place said there had been no prostitute there.” 23“Let her keep the things,” Judah said, “or we will become a laughingstock. I sent her this young goat, but you could not find her.”

Tamar Vindicated

24About three months later, Judah was told, “Tamar your daughter-in-law has been acting like a prostitute, and now she is pregnant because of it.” “Bring her out,” Judah said, “and let her be burned!” 25As she was being brought out, she sent word to her father-in-law: “I am pregnant by the man who owns these.” And she added, “See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.” 26Judah recognized them and said, “She is more righteous than I am, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not sleep with her again. 27When the time came for her to give birth, there were twins in her womb. 28As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; the midwife took it and tied a scarlet thread around it, saying, “This one came out first.” 29But then he pulled his hand back, and there came out his brother. “So this is how you break out!” she said. So he was named Perez. 30Then his brother came out, with the scarlet thread on his hand, and he was named Zerah.